Serendipity
by Lynn10
Summary: In a warring society where OZ is absolute, Heero is on a mission taking part in changing the fate of the world. But unexpected circumstances rise, and he finds himself without a memory and newly acquainted Duo Maxwell as his only ally.
1. Prologue

**Full Summary** **_-_** In a warring society where OZ has ultimate authority, fifteen-year-old Heero Yuy is on a mission from the Rebel Alliance that takes part in changing the fate of the world. But unexpected circumstances rise, and he finds himself without a memory and newly acquainted Duo Maxwell as his only ally. The thing is, Duo is just an ignorant civilian…and his father is Treize Khushrenada's closest advocate.

Author Notes:

**One **- The political elements are going to be a bit different for the plot's sake, which is not going to be according to the original Gundam Wing canon.

**Two **– This story is rated "T" only because of the violence; the rating for this story will never go up.

**Three - **Character thoughts are in italics, marked with single quotes, or both.

**Disclaimer** - I do not own anything of particular value in this story. Except my Gundam Wing DVDs. But that's beside the point.

**Serendipity**

_By: Lynn_

_**Prologue**_

'_Run.'_

That was the one word that filled Heero Yuy's drained mind as he forced his exhausted legs to only pump faster. His wild blue eyes, fixated on the faraway image of a ghostly bridge, never dared to chance glancing back at his pursuers. His breathing was becoming ragged, and the bullet wedged in his wounded, bloody side wasn't helping any.

Hidden behind malicious looking storm clouds, the crescent moon brought broken, twisted lines down upon the curved, weather-beaten path. Dark trees in the background gave the scene a mysterious and abstracted appearance. The sky looked menacingly dim as the rain came down in torrents, drenching the weary boy's body. The bellowing wind could almost be heard…almost, as the howling of the hunting dogs was yet louder, and the shouts and screams of the boy's trackers could be almost piercing. And even that could be endured, Heero noted, if it were not for the beating of his very heart. That was absolutely intolerable.

'_Run.'_

Inhaling a breath sharply, Heero allowed his thoughts to trail back to the extremely important mission he was assigned. Everything went right at first: hacking into the massive city's public school computer system to enroll as a student was a synch; he needed a good cover up while he was "doing business" there, and conveying to the public that one was a mere student fit the bill best for Heero. Getting there was fairly simple as well. Even completing the mission wasn't going to be much of a difficulty.

What went wrong?

It turned out to be the simplest of things that got him into this position…


	2. Chapter 1

**Author Note**: I am not for certain what genre this story should merge with, so suggestions are greatly welcomed.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_He was passing through the small neighboring town of Marion; Jade, the city where his mission was located, was the next one over. As OZ's site for its main headquarters and proud pride and joy, Jade was the huge thriving metropolis of the nation. There was certainly a raison d'être for the unique name -- the jade itself is a distinctive precious gem, not only just prized for its obvious beauty, but also for its inimitable symbolic energy. OZ needed a strong emblem, and the jade seemed to combine both beauty and strength in a remarkably harmonious way. The large metropolitan area was surrounded by countless tiny, almost insignificant towns that thrived upon the benefits of the city. It was to the point where the nearby towns depended on the city so much so, that if Jade ever closed its doors off to outsiders, the helpless neighboring towns would economically collapse within less than a month. _

_Heero paused and sighed as he spotted a dilapidated civilian house, one of countless others in the smaller towns. These were typical living conditions for the bourgeois of OZ. 'T__hey obviously have their people right where they want them,' he thought sadly, feeling a flare of anger rising up inside of him as he passed by the rotting building. Simply thinking about all the wrongs OZ was causing its suppressed citizens just made his will to crush them stronger.  
_

_It was getting quite dark and the weather looked somewhat threatening, but it was all the better for Heero. The civilians would all be in their homes, no one would be watching him, and he loved walking alone in the rain. It was sad and melancholy - just like him._

_All he simply was was a soldier ('or terrorist, depending on the person you're speaking to,' he contemplated darkly). Trained since he was a young child to become one of the Rebel Alliance, Heero knew nothing of kindness or joy. He was told that 'friends' were but a weakness and merely an obstacle in the path of victory. He was taught to kill or be killed for the success of the mission. His own happiness, he knew painfully well, was to be sacrificed for the happiness of others._

_A bitter smile hinted at his lips. 'Whatever 'happiness' is.'_

_Some light first drizzles sprinkled onto his unruly brown hair. He jammed his hands into his jacket pockets and gazed up into the heavens. It looked like someone took black and pallid speckled paint, mixed it together, and hurled it across the sky. The whole sight was rather striking, in a dismal way._

_As Heero strolled through the ramshackled, ghost-like town, it began to rain harder._ '_Not a problem,'_ _he thought as he leisurely made his way down the sidewalk; he was in no hurry to get to his destination. A look at his watch told him it was 11:12 – plenty of time to get there by morning._

_Heero was starting to visibly relax as he passed the local bar (boisterous laughter could be heard inside). He wasn't able to have time to himself in so long. This was nice – walking in the rain. _

_True, any ordinary teenager would be at least somewhat frightened ambling down a dark, quiet street past a bar at eleven o'clock, but not Heero. He faced many things in his life that required much more strength and focus than this. _

'_This?' Heero impulsively threw back his head and laughed. It was a laugh filled with heartache and dejection._

_This was just plain relaxation to him._

_That was what he thought at first, anyway._

_"'Ey, you!"_

_The sudden sound of a voice caused Heero to freeze. He stopped beneath a streetlight. The cheerless glow from the yellow light bulb illuminated off his face as he paused, then turned. "Me?" _

"_Well, you're da only person out here," the man replied sarcastically. His words were spoken in a bit of a drunken slur as he staggered out of the bar. He was a large man with short spiked brown hair, and his rugged face looked anything but kind. He was holding a beer in one hand, and his free hand was pointing a fat finger at Heero's face._

_Now Heero dealt with many drunks in his lifetime, and at first, this man seemed no different. But when the man stepped closer into the dim light to make his finger-pointing more fear-provoking, Heero's senses were on full alert. It wasn't that the man was two times larger than himself or that he was utterly "under the influence." What alarmed Heero was the man's clothing._

_He was wearing an OZ uniform._

_It needs to be mentioned that there was a war going on at this point – rebels verses OZ – and whoever won this war decided the outcome of billions of people, both on earth and in the colonies. _

_OZ was a military organization from earth, although their power was slowly spreading to the colonies one at a time. That was what they wanted in the first place – ultimate power – and it didn't matter one way or the other how they would obtain it, as long as it was somehow quickly obtainable. Then, in a wild attempt for even more control, OZ shocked the world and crushed their very founders, the mighty Romefeller Foundation. It was an amazing and incredible feat. Yet still they craved for even more power. Now with the combined might of themselves and the defeated Romefeller Foundation (currently a reluctant financial pawn of OZ), they knew nothing could stop them from world domination. Turning towards the earth, they are currently taking hold of it with an iron fist. And once OZ sees for a fact that earthling resistance will be futile, everyone and their grandmother will know they will ultimately turn toward the worried, yet peaceful colonies. _

_Unsatisfied with the way the earth's government kept leeching on to the colonies to get what they wanted, and knowing full well that the only reason the colonies originally existed was because those very people wanted to escape frustrating wars and confusing politics in the first place, a group of colonists formed what was known as the Rebel Alliance. It existed solely to battle and defeat OZ, no matter even if their own homeland were to renounce them…which it eventually did. The unfortunate colonies were absolutely terrified of OZ's growing and unsurpassed strength, and didn't want to give the organization any reason whatsoever to declare an all-out war on them (though, in a way, they were still being "attacked"; there just were not any literal casualties yet). Some colonies decided opposition was useless and chose to even join with OZ. _

_OZ knew full well the rebels probably stemmed from the space colonies, although the colonies never claimed their ideals represented the rebel's ideals. The colonies also tried as quickly as possible to let the earth know they were not responsible for these "troublemakers." Every action of the rebels, they declared, was of their own doing._

_"What do you want?" Heero asked coldly, trying not to reveal his astonishment at seeing an OZ soldier so soon, and in such a place. After all, this was a small town; what was an OZ soldier doing out here? Except for getting a possible discount on his booze, there was nothing else. 'Unless,' Heero thought sharply, 'he's traveling through, like me, to get to the city and OZ's main HQ. That's gotta be it!'_

_And what was worse, Heero knew, usually OZ soldiers, like wild dogs, traveled in packs. They were regularly seen together drinking ("What kind of an OZ soldier are you if you drink alone?" was the typical, jocular slogan). It was without a doubt that this soldier's companions were nearby. This was not the time to be found out._

_"'Ey, watch yer attitude!" The guy sneered, revealing daunting yellowed teeth. He took another threatening step forward. "We OZ soldiers, we're da new monitors while we're stayin' here; dere's no 'cops' to cry to when we're around. We're da law wherever we go. Now, 'ow old 're ya?" He drunkenly threw his arm into the air to check his watch in the faint lighting. It was the hand that was holding his beer, and he consequently spilt some of it onto his uniform. Glaring at Heero as if it was his fault for the little spatter, he continued. "Kids under eighteen aren't allowed out after ten, ya know. It's da curfew rule in Jade, an' it's da curfew rule here. What are ya up to, ya li'l punk?!"_

_"I don't even live here—Captain Walker," Heero calmly replied, reading the soldier's ornate uniform badge. "I'm just passing through."_

"_Like I care!" The captain stepped closer to Heero to look yet more intimidating. "You're probably lyin' to me, anyway! Now, how old 're ya?!"_

_"I'm twenty-one," Heero answered, turning to walk away. In actuality, he was fifteen years old, just a teenager. But maybe in that drunken state, the guy would buy it._

_He didn't. Heero felt a strong arm on his shoulder. He was spun around and two jaundiced eyes stared into his own blue ones. "'Den let's see some ID." _

_Heero knew that any more arguing would get him into deeper trouble; the soldier's obvious incentive behind this little breach of rules was that he just felt like being mean tonight. So why not give this boy a hard time? _

_He felt his heart starting to beat faster as he reached into his back pocket. The ID he had was the ID of a student, and rightfully so. That was his concealment, his protection from being found out within. He didn't plan on needing an ID for protection from without. He had no obscurity for this situation. _

_His mind raced for some kind of strategy to get out of this position without revealing his true motivations, but only one plan came to mind. And that would utterly blow what cover he had. _

* * *

**Author Note**: I hope that it was clear enough to understand that this is currently in a flashback. Comments are welcomed!


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

_He just hoped that the OZ soldier was too drunk to read._

_Heero took out his identification card and handed it to the man, all the while studying his face closely to hopefully decipher a reaction. The drunken soldier squinted at the ID in the light and pretended to analyze it in the finest detail while he held it nearly two inches away from his face. _

_After scrutinizing it for what seemed like a few minutes, he looked back at Heero and smirked as he handed the card back to him. "Okay, Heero," he pronounced the name like it was an obscenity, "I'm gonna escort ya to a place where we can talk…outta dis here rain." (The deluge of rain was harshly coming down at this point.)_

_With a menacing leer, the man reached out to take Heero by the arm, but Heero was faster. Quickly grabbing the man's arm first, he stepped forward and swept the drunk off his feet. The captain's loud cry of alarmed disbelief was quickly cut short after his feet left the ground. He landed flat on his back, the wind harshly knocked from him. Spluttering in senseless shock, the soldier looked as to where the punk responsible for his bruised tailbone was. But Heero was already running._

_"STOP!" the man screamed, taking out his gun in a drunken rage and firing a shot._

_For a drunk, his aim was extraordinarily accurate...or incredibly lucky. Heero felt fire in his side where the bullet hit. Crying out in pained surprise, he fell to the ground in a cradled position, clutching his wound. Although his side was bleeding freely, he could tell the bullet wasn't lodged all too deep. Still, it hurt like purgatory. _

"_Lucky shot," Heero groaned to himself, his teeth tightly clenched together as he laboriously struggled to his feet. Agony blazed in steady throbs throughout his left side and sent burning waves straight up his back. But ignoring the searing pain above his hip, he glanced back at that ridiculous-looking man who shot him. His eyes narrowed slightly. The one soldier was now accompanied by four others. _

"_Stop 'em!" Heero heard the drunken captain roar. _

"_That boy, Captain?" One of the four soldiers frowned as he looked at the young man who was purposefully injured, then back at his leader. 'What did this kid do to make Captain Walker so angry?'_

_The captain waved an inebriated arm in Heero's direction. He was still holding his beer, however, and not only did he get more on himself, but also on his companions. "He assaulted me when I tried to arrest 'em!"_

_With one hand clasping his bleeding side, Heero looked at the other soldiers to hear how they would respond. After all, in their eyes he was supposedly just a kid who missed his curfew (if he had the chance to explain himself, that is). Judging by the way they looked, Heero couldn't tell how drunk they were, or if they were drunk at all. Maybe they'd tell their leader to back off because he's just a stupid kid. Then again, most soldiers held a certain loyalty towards one another and, above all, immense loyalty to their leader ('Especially if they drank together,' Heero thought disgustedly). No…he couldn't rely on kindness in this situation._

_After getting an approving nod from his leader, one of the more malicious-looking soldiers turned towards Heero. "Okay, kid," he began, "Kid – I gotta be frank with ya, kid – if you don't turn yourself in now, you're gonna find yourself either in jail or dead. We OZ troops, we're not your average friendly neighborhood cops. We don't have to take prisoners if we don't wanna. But, I'm in a pretty good mood right now ('I wonder why…' Heero dryly noted to himself), and I'll give ya one more chance. You can apologize to Captain Walker, here, and den come wit us, or ya can come wit us forcefully and wish ya apologized on your knees!" _

_He then began to approach Heero slowly. Two others followed suit._

"_Come on, kid, give it up," another Special stated. His voice possessed the pretense of goodwill, but his blue eyes gleamed dangerously. "You'll just make it easier on yas."_

_Ignoring the faulty grammar, Heero faced a few choices. For one, he could simply continue running and hope that they couldn't catch him. If they did…God would only know what they'd do to him. OZ soldiers were noted for their cruelty almost as well as their drunkenness. If they caught him, and then found out he was a member of the Rebel Alliance…most likely he would never be seen again…alive, that is. _

_There was one other choice he could think of at the moment – he could take down a couple of these guys right there and get a small head start. _

_To Heero, the choice was obvious. _

_He grabbed for his gun which was lodged in the back of his blue jeans. _

"_He's got a gun!" a soldier shrieked. "After 'em! He's probably from a gang!"_

"_I knew it, I knew it!" babbled the captain named Walker. "No little kid could knock me down."_

'_An infant could knock you down,' Heero thought satirically, determinedly clenching his gun tightly with both hands. This was it. If he fired at even one of them now, there was no turning back. _

"_Don't worry, sir," said a soldier who appeared to be quite sober. "I'll get 'em."_

_He reached into his coat pocket, but by the time his hand appeared, a shot rang out from Heero's gun. A scream ripped from the man's body as he dropped to the ground, a bullet now embedded in the dead man's chest._

"_J…Johnson!" cried a nearby OZ trooper, his eyes widening from the shock of a mere boy killing his fellow soldier. _

_With an angry scream he reached for his own gun, but Heero was again faster. Another shot rang out in the darkness; another soldier collapsed, a bullet implanted in his brain._

_Satisfied with only three left, Heero took off into the night._


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 **

"_After him!" Walker roared, instigating the chase. He looked at one soldier. "Brown! Call fer backup, NOW! Thomas! Get moving!"_

"_Yes, sir!" The blue-eyed soldier named Brown was already rapidly talking on his com link. "Yes, we had a case of resisting arrest and assault. When we tried to take the gang member in, he gunned down two of our Specials. We are requesting backup! I repeat, we are requesting backup!" _

_The other livid soldier, Thomas, was ahead of him, gun out and at the ready, just waiting for the first moment to set eyes on his prey. Revenge was teeming throughout his movements, like the pouring rain. He couldn't wait to get his hands on that little brat, that offspring of a demon, who would dare to go against members of the authoritarian government, the ultimate organization, OZ.To him, this kid was probably not just a member of a gang -- his shooting ability was simply too accurate. He might just be one of the rebels. _

_Of course all three soldiers have seen their friends die in battle; any hardened soldier has. They've seen comrades get blown up inside their Mobil Suits in space; they've seen things that would make any newbie vomit. However, this wasn't any "warrior." This wasn't even a soldier in their eyes. To Thomas, this kid…this…scum was from those galling, wretched rebels that shouldn't even exist. _

_OZ needed a good alibi to undergo straightforward war with the colonies (war would be so much faster than time-consuming negotiations), and they knew the rebels and the colonies had a certain connection. The only problem was evidence. They couldn't prove for a fact that the Rebel Alliance came directly from the colonies. Nonetheless…all it would take was one person from the Alliance to squeal. And who could divulge secrets better than a child?_

_'A perfect opportunity for OZ,' the corner of Thomas's mouth curled into a sneer. He made a mental note to let his musings be made known to Captain Walker when they joined up again._

_He had to be one of the rebels. That was clear. No average fool could kill an OZ soldier (and who would want to, anyway?). The Alliance was also known to have trained children ever since they were very young to be a generation of "super killers," who would be able to take life without a second thought. Yes, no question about it, he was from the Rebel Alliance._

_Brown closed his beeper and first turned towards his leader. "Backup is on the way, sir!" he shouted, and Heero heard every word of that. _

"_Good, then let's split up!" Walker licked his lips with excitement and dashed off after his companions. He couldn't wait to slice that brat's jugular._

_Oh, right. After interrogating him, of course._

_Heero ran for his life. The minutes ticked away and the rain kept on coming as the boy rounded a corner. While squinting ahead in the murky lighting, he could make out some derelict subsidized apartments to the left of the doused street. He could see the outlines of the rickety, winding staircase go up to what seemed like the second – and then higher up – the third floor. And to the right were some aging storefronts displaying their goods behind their big storm windows. _

_Heero ran straight ahead on the side of the street with all the closed stores, still supporting his aching side with one arm. It was truly starting to bother him now, with the way it kept throbbing and bleeding. As the blood was dribbling onto his arm, so was his strength being sapped away. It would only be a matter of time before they caught up to him for certain. Maybe he could hide somewhere in the town and lose them. _

_No, there was a problem with that plan. Besides his wounded side, another thing that kept annoying him was that every time he seemed to lose those soldiers, every time he slowed down just to catch his breath, he would hear the sloshing of footsteps in muddy puddles, or the shout of someone spotting him. _

'_For brainless OZ troops, they could sure track well,' Heero thought in frustration as he neared the middle of the block._

_His thoughts were abruptly broken as he heard a bullet wiz past his ear. Then another. _

_Heero turned around. An OZ trooper was running straight for him, gun out and trained on him. _

_Concerned, Heero knew there was no time to sit and think; there was no way he could kill an OZ soldier in this position without getting somewhat wounded himself. He needed a better, more secure place where he could take him. A radical thought flashed through his mind, and he turned toward one of the storefronts._

_With only a second's hesitation, Heero made for one of the stores. He fired a few bullets into the door's glass center._

"_Hey! What are you—!" _

_Heero ignored the screaming protests of the guard and hurriedly kicked the cracked glass from the frame._

_Some of the jagged glass pieces were left connected to the window's casing on the door, but Heero ignored the stinging pricks as he stepped inside the store itself. _

_He looked around. It was a small convenience store, nothing spectacular (the alarm, if there even was one, didn't go off), but it had enough aisles to keep the soldier busy for a while. _

_He gazed around in the dark store to find a good hiding place. One look at the cashier's counter told him that would be where the OZ soldier would look first, so he hid in an aisle farther back. Heero found himself among the juice aisle; for a small convenience store, this place had an abundance of juice items._

_Crouching down, he picked up a glass bottle filled with some kind of citrus drink and held his breath as he heard someone enter._

_The crunching of feet on glass was heard. Heero could tell the soldier was walking slowly, examining everything around him, careful not to miss anything…important. _

_Heero inwardly groaned as he saw the glow from a flashlight shining off the walls. It bobbed up and down as the soldier walked down one aisle, then another. He was getting closer and closer to Heero's spot with each slow, measured step._

_"I know why you're here, Rebel!" the voice shouted, a lilt of triumph in the tone. More crunching sounds. "You're trying to make it to Jade -- eh?!" __A few bullets fired into the ceiling, probably an attempt to give Heero a psychological jolt of fear.__ "You're trying to stop our divine conquest! But I'm not gonna let that happen."_

_Heero tried to make his breathing unhurried and quiet, but it was tough. His hand clasped his side tightly, trying to serve as a sort of coagulation to the blood flow. It hadn't stopped bleeding yet._

_And the soldier was getting even closer. "I'm gonna blow those brains out of that pretty little head, Rebel. This'll be for killing my comrades!" He was almost onto him. _

_He was in the aisle right behind Heero's._

_But Heero was ready for this situation. _

_He knelt on one knee, and held the glass bottle like a club. Then he hurled it to the other side of the store with all his might._

_The bottle shattered, and made a loud crashing sound as it collided into other store items. The flashlight immediately turned towards the opposite side of the store and seemed to be moving at a very quick pace. "Ahh, trying to run away, huh?! Well, here I come, Boy!"  
_

_With a sneer, Heero gripped his gun decisively and stood; he decided right there to take that guy out._


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_As the soldier went to see what made that sound, Heero crept up behind him. The specials officer didn't even know what was coming as he continued to spout off insult after insult. Heero pointed his gun at the man resolutely, the advantage now in his favor. _

_He pulled the trigger._

_It was an easy kill. One shot to the back of the head was all it took._

_The soldier, known as Thomas, fell like a tree._

_Not without possibly revealing with all the noise where Heero was hiding, however. Other pursuers were probably on there way as he stood there.  
_

_Heero nervously ran to the front of the store and looked around. Taking deep breaths, his eyes trailed over the whole of the room. Nothing was out of place, if one could define a dead soldier sprawled in the middle of one of the aisles and a smashed-in door not out of place. All that could be heard was the rain's drumming and his own winded panting. Still, there was tension hanging heavily around him. It was quiet…just too quiet. Was he found out? Did someone hear the gunshot?_

_Suddenly, a crack formed in one of the three big storm windows, resulting in spider web-like splinters materializing in the glass. The webs began to spread out as another crack formed, making a snapping sound._

_On impulse, Heero ducked, then had just enough time to cover his head as two of the storm windows he was behind exploded from the onslaught of bullets. Shards of glass flew every which way as the noise of the glass shattering blended in with the rain's rhythmatic beating. Heero crouched low, arms covering his head and midsection, as glass showered onto the tile floor and into nearby aisles. His eyes squeezed shut, he could feel some of the debris cutting into the flesh on his arms and back, but it was nothing serious. _

_As soon as he felt it was safe, Heero jumped up from his bent position and leaped out of the store. He ran down the street, not looking back. He could hear one window shattering after another as he passed by store after store. Alarms were going off everywhere. From the angle he was being shot at, the soldier had to be on the other side of the street._

_'__Another one's already on to me!' Heero knew he needed a fast cover or he would be found the next day dead on the street corner with nothing but a fake ID as his only proof of existence. He strained his eyes for any sign of a place where he could hide himself, or at least somewhere where he could rest for a few minutes. He was starting to tire more, now. This incident shouldn't even be happening! _

_Suddenly, it hit him. He turned back to those apartments, and looked at the twisting staircase. He noticed that the second and third-story back doors connected to the ground by means of that winding metal stairway._

_Perfect. And not a moment too soon._

_Heero heard shouts as he ran for the staircase, beginning to climb them quickly, yet carefully not to make much noise. Although it was raining hard, an OZ soldier close by could still make out the clattering of feet on stairs from the pattering of rain._

_He reached the top of the second story case and smirked to himself as he sat down, his knees up to his chest. No OZ soldier would find him here._

_Checking one more time over the stairwell to make sure no OZ specials were in sight, he now allowed himself to somewhat relax. He leaned his head back against the wall, breathless for air. Groaning from breathing in too deeply, he clutched his side and gazed closely at the wound. It looked ugly and quite grotesque with all the blood seeping out of his meager "tourniquet." _

_He squeezed his eyes shut tightly as the pain continued to throb consistently, and now wished he could have taken those soldiers all out at once. Still, his better instincts told him that would be foolish; one would have at least gotten to him before he killed them all._

_And yet…if he knew it would have caused him this much trouble…_

_His wet bangs plastered to his head from the continued downpour, Heero peeked out for a second to see if the soldiers discovered his hiding place. _

_His heart leaped in his chest. He heard noise coming from beneath the staircase. It was the sloshing of feet walking through a puddle. _

_Heero ducked back into his spot, and looked at the gun he was still holding. Maybe, in spite of everything, he could kill them after all. One by one…_

_Slowly, Heero moved towards the side of the ledge he was seated on, and peered down. There was an OZ soldier, Brown by name, and to Heero he was almost begging to die._

_Wanting to fulfill that request, Heero pointed his gun at the oblivious soldier and aimed._

_Frowning in frustration, Heero couldn't aim for a direct kill. The soldier kept either moving around or talking on his com link…his movements were just too sporadic for Heero to get a worthy shot at him. _

_"Yeah. yeah. I can't seem to get in contact with Thomas, but the kid is right around the apartment buildings. I saw him and chased him to this area. ...yeah. You'd better come quick if you want to get a shot at him..."_

_By then he was out of range._

_Deriding himself, Heero descended the stairwell. Waiting was wasting for people like him. He hated just sitting around; what was he thinking? He had a mission to complete, and delaying wasn't an option. Besides, the soldiers weren't just going to give up and go home when they couldn't find him. _

_He needed to shake these guys now. That soldier dying was necessary in the completion of his mission. He was required to eliminate all obstacles; that soldier was but an impediment in the line of carrying out his objective._

_He only wished he had planned out his next move instead of jumping headfirst into another problem._

"_HEY!" Heero heard. It was the soldier he saw before, Brown, but now with a gun trained on him. "Stop! Come over here, ya little punk, and you won't get hurt!"_

_Obviously not believing him, Heero broke into a sprint, turning a corner and out of the soldier's line of view. _

_Heero needed to find somewhere where he could think of another strategy, and quickly. He couldn't think properly while he was somebody's target. Plus, there were no more hiding places he could think of that were safe. He mentally kicked himself for blowing that apartment spot._

_His savior unexpectedly came in the form of an alley. Heero skidded to a halt, and hid behind an old dumpster. Then sensing it was still too easy of a spot, he crawled beneath it. _

_He just fit._

_The alley he was hiding in was small enough where the width of it could only fit three grown men side-by-side, but the dumpster was big enough to completely conceal him. _

_He was lying in high grass that visibly hadn't been cut in a long time. And whatever died inside or under the dumpster smelled quite malodorous. Heero didn't care; as long as it hid him – that was all that mattered. _

_Biting the inside of his cheek to keep from moaning as he unintentionally put too much pressure on his bad side, Heero gradually rolled to his stomach; that way he would take the weight off his side, and it would allow him to partially see from underneath the dumpster if anyone was coming his way._

_He abruptly jumped as he heard unexpected voices; they were too close for Heero's comfort. _

"_Search everything!" It was the voice of that drunk, Walker. "He's gotta be here somewhere. Hic!" And he was evidently still as intoxicated as ever. "I'll check in the next alley."_

_Heero held his breath and made himself as flat as possible when he heard footsteps coming closer to where he hid. He felt something with more than six legs crawling past his face as he silently lay there. Perspiration began to form on his brow when he saw two feet standing right in front of him. _

_Whatever was crawling underneath the dumpster began to inch up Heero's cheek, but still the boy made no movement. He inwardly sighed as another of its friends joined. It wasn't uncommon for little critters to come out at night and eat the dead flesh of whatever pathetic thing crawled beneath the dumpster to die in the feeble "safety" of the tall grass. Was Heero going to be one of these pathetic things as well? Was he already one?_

_Still holding his breath, Heero waited to see what would happen._

* * *

**Author Note**: I swear I am having too much fun writing this story. Did anyone recognize the line from _Naruto _anywhere?


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_The two steel-toed boots stayed there for a few moments. Evidently, the soldier must have been looking up and down the alley. Those few moments stretched to seem like hours to Heero as he lay in that cramped position with some_ _invertebrates mating on his cheek. Yes, it was starting to get rather uncomfortable down there._

_All of a sudden the dumpster creaked and Heero rapidly felt like he was being pressed into the ground. _

_The soldier was opening the dumpster ('and probably leaning on it, no doubt,' Heero thought painfully). By the grunts and rummaging around of the man, it was relatively obvious to Heero that the soldier wanted to see if his target was dense enough to hide inside of the dumpster._

_Next, he started to shake it. _

_Heero shut his eyes as the jiggling caused bits and pieces of dried muck to fall from the bottom of the dumpster onto his body. His hand went protectively over his wound to shield it from the mess._

_Unnerving silence followed. The man seemed to be considering what to do next. Heero's hand went from his wound to his gun which lay beside him._

_Suddenly, a hand dropped to the ground. Then a body. _

_Two repulsive blue eyes gazed into Heero's._

"_Well, well, look what we have here." The soldier Brown grinned a hideous grin as he stared at his prey. "There you are."_

_Heero could only stare back. He gripped his gun determinedly as the man stood to lift up the dumpster._

"_Let's get you out of – AGH!" Brown stumbled back with a scream as Heero discharged a bullet into the man's ankle._

_The OZ soldier let a flurry of curses fly as well as a few useless bullets as Heero scrambled out from under the dumpster to look for some cover to hide behind for his own offensive attacks. He spotted a medium-sized crate and made for it._

_As he ran, Heero heard the soldier shout in frustration again as his gun ran out of ammunition. It was a short-barreled gun, probably a semi-automatic pistol or revolver, designed that it could be held in one hand, so it most likely didn't carry many bullets. _

_The brunette knew exactly what happened to the man as he heard the loud, yet empty clicking sounds through the rain. It was more or less comical. After all those previously careless bullets used, he finally ran out when they were needed most. That ridiculous OZ Special really thought he had him. It would be almost regretful to not say one ironic comment for Brown to hear before he died. Heero knew he'd regret not saying anything, so he turned his head to make just one sarcastic remark. _

_That was a critical mistake._

_Heero, just for a moment, wasn't wary of how slippery the ground was because of the rain, and before he knew it, he was sprawled face first in a deep, murky puddle. The gun he was holding slipped from his grasp and dropped somewhere into said puddle as he made contact with the ground._

_Quickly getting his footing, Heero immediately searched in the puddle with both hands, desperate to find his handgun. How could he have let his guard down like that? What a thoughtless thing to…_

_He was suddenly sprawling back into the puddle. As he tried to get up, he felt an elbow in the crook of his back, making him lie there with his face in the water. Heero struggled to get his footing, but the elbow was stronger._

_Just as Heero began to wonder if he would actually drown in a puddle, he was abruptly lifted out by his hair. Then he was turned around and was face to face with the soldier he was about to mock a few seconds ago. His arms and the bottom half of his body hung limply on the ground._

_They looked at each other for a moment or two. Brown's damp blond hair sent little water droplets dripping onto Heero's forehead and cheek. He seemed to be deliberating about what to do first with his detainee._

_Heero knew he had to get out of this position. If only he had his gun…_

'_That's it!' He was only partly lifted out of the water. He decided to use this chance to discreetly feel for his gun; it might be his only chance left._

_Brown waved his pistol at Heero's head and growled, "I don't care if they need you. You'll die here."_

_Still inconspicuously feeling for his gun, Heero blinked some of the grime out of his eyes as he wondered what the guy would do. He was out of ammo. Would he try to throttle him to death? _

_Without warning, his hand touched his own gun and he roughly grabbed it without delay, vaguely smirking as he hung helplessly by his hair. _

"_What are you gonna do with that little gun?" Heero asked, stalling for time to get a tighter grip on his weapon. "You're out of bullets."_

_Brown glared at him, then furiously spat on Heero's face as he responded, "Guns can do more than shoot." And with that said, he reeled back his fist, and harshly pistol-whipped Heero on the side of his forehead._

_Heero grunted from the aching impact; he felt his grip on the gun loosening slightly, but still he held on._

_Then the soldier pistol-whipped him again, but harder and more severe this time._

_Heero shouted in pain and felt warm liquid running down the side of his face as the skin on his forehead broke. His head was pounding, and he began to see little dark spots dancing across his vision. No, he couldn't pass out. Not now!_

_He forced himself to concentrate, and the spots began to disappear. He could see the menacing soldier cruelly laughing, he could hear the rain falling and feel it on his body, his soaked clothes consequently sticking to his skin. And he could feel his gun still clutched in his left hand. _

"_You're not done, yet?!" Brown screamed, trying to pistol-whip him yet again._

_Heero knew he had his chance. He shakily blocked the attack with his right arm, and lifted up his left. _

"_No," he answered the soldier. "I'm not." And with that, he shot the OZ soldier right in the face._

_The soldier was dead before he could even scream as he let go of Heero and collapsed onto the ground._

_Heero just sat there for a second, trying to catch his breath and taking in his current situation. His liberator still lay in his left hand. 'That was too close…' he thought, chiding himself in his pain. 'Way too close…'_

_Jadedly standing, he silently wiped the blood off his face with his jacket sleeve and was about to walk away when he felt an iron arm wring around his throat. _

'_What?!' Heero thought in astonishment, grabbing the man's arm with his hands. 'Didn't I get them all?!'_

_He smelled the strong scent of alcohol on his captor's breath. The half-nelson around Heero's throat tightened as he spoke. "Hello, there…"_


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_'Walker!'_

_Heero felt the gun get wrestled out of his hand and watched as it dropped to the ground by his feet. His left arm was then levered backward and twisted behind his back._

_Walker's putrid breathing tickled Heero's ear as he continued. "I see you've killed all my men, Heero." Heero could tell he was smiling. "You're not going any further. I will break your delicate little neck right here."_

_Heero felt his airway constricting even more. He started to choke. 'No…' he thought. 'He's wrong. I'm going to suffocate before my neck breaks.'_

_By then Heero couldn't breathe at all. _

'_What can I do?' his mind raced desperately. He only had about six seconds left before he would completely go unconscious. The little spots began to form at a fast rate. His world began to dull. He could hear a muffled voice laughing. _

'_That's it!' _

_Quickly as to catch the soldier off-guard, Heero opened his mouth and bit the guy as hard as he could on the arm, sinking his teeth as far as they would go into the drunk's flesh._

_An almost beast-like scream erupted from the captain's throat as he immediately jerked his arm away from the boy, staggering backward and clutching his bleeding arm securely to his chest. _

_Coughing with one hand tenderly around his throat, Heero dropped to the ground on his hands and knees, gasping for air. It never felt so fantastic to heave in the wonderful air again. __Sure, biting the drunkard was somewhat of an extreme idea, but it was all he could do. _

_Wiping his mouth of the blood that spurted out of Walker's arm, Heero looked at the ground and couldn't help but smile. _

_The gun was lying right beside him._

_As he snatched it up and spit on the ground one last time to rid himself of the bloody aftertaste, Heero vowed right there that that guy would die. _

_Quickly turning around and seeing Walker fumbling with his bad arm for his gun, Heero wasted no time in shooting the soldier twice in the stomach. A fatal wound, yes, but would it kill him immediately?_

_No. Heero wanted to have a few words with this captain._

_Smirking at Walker's current situation, Heero walked over to where the captain lay. Brutally stepping on the soldier's hand to kick his gun out of reach, Heero knelt down, picked up the drunk by his hair, and looked at the utter fool who attempted to kill him._

"_How does it feel, now?" Heero laughed pitilessly as the man cursed. "How does it feel to have the tables turned on you so quickly? HUH?!" Heero punched the drunk in the face with his other hand. "You thought you had me, didn't you? You thought you could finish me off with a meager choke. I'm disappointed." Heero punched him again. "Your lackey did a better job at almost killing me than you did. Don't worry, though. You'll be joining him now."_

_As Heero was about to pull the trigger, Walker's laughing stopped him. _

_Heero glared at him. "What's so funny?" 'Is he just trying to stall his death?'_

"_Oh, nothing," Walker replied through his uneven chuckling. "Go ahead an' shoot. You'll be dead before daybreak."_

"_What do you mean?" Heero demanded, holding his gun so that it was pressed against the guy's forehead. "Tell me!"_

"_You'll see soon..." It was almost said in a sing-song voice as the man drunkenly laughed again._

_Heero heard enough. Shooting the drunk in the head and letting him fall, he sighed while leaning against the dumpster. _

'_Finally.' _

_Heero did lie to that man, however. Nothing about this situation was meager. He was exhausted. He was bleeding. And blast it, he had a throbbing headache. _

_Still wondering about what Walker meant, Heero looked up as he heard odd sounds._

…_was that barking? _

_No, he was probably hearing things. It must be the fatigue taking its toll._

_But what Heero saw next astonished him and made him almost give up in surrender. _

_Because there, standing at the alley's opening about two meters away from where Heero sat, was the backup in all its glory, complete with hunting dogs, all looking for one person._

_Him._

'_So that's what Walker was talking about,' Heero wearily sighed to himself. This was just too much. His body already pushed to its limit, Heero knew he couldn't fight much longer. Should he just admit defeat and end his mission here? Before it even officially began? _

_Heero despairingly struggled to his feet and opened his gun's canister. Just to make matters worse, he was out of bullets, too. He gripped the weapon in his hand and defiantly faced his new enemies._

"_That's what we're looking for?" One soldier snorted in amusement. In his opinion, all he could see was a scrawny, sick little boy trying to play 'Soldier' who urgently needed a bath. "Backup was called…for that? He killed Walker's troop? You've gotta be kidding me." _

"_Heh, heh, heh!" another soldier giggled, kneeling down as he stroked his extremely ugly dog. "I say we have some fun with him."_

"_Yeah," a third agreed. "We didn't come all this way to simply kill a kid who's already half-dead."_

"_This is a waste of time," a fourth growled. "I could have been watching Treize's speech on television."_

_All the soldiers save that one groaned in unison._

_"Pardon my insubordination, Sir, but Treize is on all the time! It's not like you're missing anything!" the bubbly one cackled._

_The evident leader glared at him. "What was that, Jeske?"_

"_Nothing," the animated one blinked._

"_Treize_ _Khushrenada_ _is our head leader, you idiot!" he cried, smacking him on the back of the head like a mother would her child. "How dare you make light of his supreme influence?!"_

_Using this time to his advantage, Heero evaluated his new dilemma. There were seven new soldiers, and three had dogs. Two of the three dogs appeared to be badly treated rottweilers, yet both were powerfully muscular canines of gross stature with menacing, self-assured expressions. Their coats were dense, yet unkempt, of medium length with black and white markings. There appeared to be thrash marks, as if they were very badly beaten. _

_Heero knew those two dogs were not to be taken lightly. He looked at the third dog which the energetic soldier was petting, and in spite of his situation he nearly smirked. The hideous dog looked like it just came out of a children's cartoon with its white, almost sheep-like fur and speckled black splotches._

_He shook his head to clear his mind. Enough time was wasted already; he had a mission to complete._

_Wiping his face one last time with his jacket sleeve to stop the blood from dripping into his eye, Heero took this new opportunity that the chattering OZ soldiers offered him and ran for it. Who said he had to wait for them to formally address him?_

"_HEY! HE'S GETTING AWAY!" the leader exclaimed, erratically pointing at the disappearing figure of their target._

"…_huh?" the soldier Jeske slowly looked up from his kneeling position with a blank stare. "…oh, right. Well, me and Jacko here, we'll catch up. Right, Jacko?"_

_Jacko yipped in response with all three decaying teeth._

"_SHUT UP AND GET HIM!" the leader shrieked, rushing after Heero. The other soldiers took the hint and followed._

_As he ran, Heero now understood that there was only one chance left for his survival: getting to the city. There was no other place in this little town left (save for the civilian houses) where safety would be included. Jade seemed to be the one location where there would be a possibility of him not only getting rid of these soldiers, but also finalizing his mission._

_His adrenaline coursing throughout his body, Heero haphazardly pushed his sweaty bangs out of his eyes as he sprinted down one dark alley after another, waiting to find a safe opening to where he could make a break for Jade itself. He already researched the way to get there by foot, and that would be across a long and somewhat narrow bridge made just for pedestrians above a lake which separated the two towns. It wasn't going to be hard to find at all, seeing that the town was so small and he was almost at the end of it anyway._

_There was the break!_

_Heero dashed from the alley and exited the town. He at first wondered why the soldiers weren't using their guns, but then remembered they were only toying with him, wanting 'to get their money's worth' so to speak. As much as that annoyed him, Heero wasn't complaining._

_He was now on an unpaved road, surrounded by trees and fields. The wide dirt path was quite muddy, and it slowed him down to some extent. He could hear the dogs barking behind him over the wind and rain._

_He strained his eyes for any sign of that bridge. It now became a symbol – it was his lifeline – the only thing keeping him from a certain and painful death in the hands of OZ._

_He could feel himself tiring even more; the only thing keeping him from collapsing now was his arduous training which he endured since he was quite young. _

_Suddenly, something loomed out of the rainy shadowy curtain._

_There it was – the bridge! _

_And he had to get to it!_


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Yes, that's exactly how it happened. Heero couldn't believe how so rediculous of an occurrence got him into this mess. It was _so_ unbelievable and far-fetched, if someone told him this happened to them, he would have told them to leave him alone.

_'Run.'_

The only thing on Heero's mind at that moment was getting to that bridge. He could see it ahead, ethereal as it was in the rain. It almost seemed to be waiting for him. He knew every step he took brought him closer and closer to liberation. If he could only just get across!

He was abruptly snapped out of his thoughts. Something was holding him down and keeping him from running.

Looking down, Heero cried out in surprise. One of the dogs had their teeth mauled into his ankle. It was the repulsive-looking dog with the black spots. It growled and latched deeper onto Heero's ankle.

"Get_ off _me!" Heero shouted, trying to shake the dog loose from his foot. When that didn't work, Heero brutally kicked the dog firmly in its side.

He looked back for a split second. Apparently, one of the soldiers released the dog from its chain to chase Heero on ahead.

"Go get 'em, Jacko!" Heero heard the soldier Jeske yelling from down the path.

Hearing that, and alarmed that the soldiers were gaining on him, Heero once again kicked the hideous dog in the head as hard as he could without loosing his balance.

Jacko let out a loud whimper and then freed Heero from the constraints of its jaw. Heero kicked Jacko one last time for good measure, then looked down at the revolting yellow tooth stuck into his skin. Apparently, Jacko left him a good-bye present.

Taking his eyes off the ghastly sight, Heero once again made for the bridge. It was so close; Heero could hear the rainwater, though it was vaguely beginning to clear up, splashing into the river underneath the bridge. Just a few more meters and he would make it.

'_Come on…'_

Five meters more.

Three.

One.

He stood on the stone bridge, leaned over to hold on to the small, delicate railing for support, and looked down into the dark, murky water. A fiery, electrifying feeling of achievement surged throughout his body as he watched the little ripples the rain made in the lake and over the sharp rocks. His legs felt ready to give way; he couldn't believe he actually arrived!

'_I finally made it. I made it to my destination!'_

There was only one problem.

By the time he realized what was going on, Heero heard a deep growling behind him. When he turned around, the massive rottweiler leaped for his throat, a canine's customary quick and easy kill.

Heero gasped and backed up. The dog came hurdling towards him through the air, jaw gaping open and teeth ready to rip into its prey's body.

Heero dropped his unloaded gun and reached out with both hands to stop the dog from mangling his neck. He braced his arms for the worst as the dog's weight came crashing down onto his body.

He felt something snap in his left wrist, causing a quick, then suddenly dull, pain. The rottweiler's two powerful front paws extended, barreled onto Heero's chest, and pushed him far more backward than the young boy was comfortable with. Sure, Heero succeeded in stopping his throat from being ripped out, but now he was inches away from toppling over into the water!

As he desperately struggled to keep his balance, Heero could feel the guard rail driving agonizingly into his back. It was simply a losing battle.

Groaning with the extra 180 pounds devastating his near-collapsing body, Heero couldn't fight the dog any longer. He gave in, allowing his body to get pushed over the brink, over the guard railing, down into the dark depths of the lake.

He braced himself as best he could for the impact the freezing water was going to give him. He could already hear a splash as the rottweiler, which also fell over the edge, made contact with the water. Yes, this was going to be interesting; how was Heero Yuy going to survive this one?

'_Simple,'_ Heero answered his own question. _'He wasn't going to.'_


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

A sharp, quick jolt through his body sent his thoughts scattering.

He stopped falling.

'_What the—?!'_

He was hanging suspended in-between the bridge and the lake! His jacket, caught on something sharp punctured out from the bridge itself, saved him from quite the fall. Heero blinked from the shock, and looked above himself, then below. The bridge had many of these 'barbs' sticking out of the stones. What they were there for or why, Heero neither knew nor cared.

To keep himself from swinging, Heero held onto his jacket's open lapel with one hand, and tried to brace himself up against the bridge's stone wall with the other. His tender left hand felt awkward and stiff, and it wouldn't move correctly (_'My wrist is broken,' _was the first thing that came to Heero's mind). The wound in his side screamed as the jacket pressed against it tightly. And whatever was holding him onto the wall was beginning to dig unbearably into his back. Heero wouldn't complain, however. This was a perfect spot to hide from OZ. Who would think to look here, in-between?

"Did you hear that splash?"

Heero dared not move, let alone breathe. The OZ Specials were right above him.

"Yeah, the rott probably shoved him in the lake. See?" There was a brief pause. "Here's the gun he dropped. He must've had quite a dance with the dog to get pushed down there."

Heero gasped as a strong flashlight flared on and began to go over the whole of the lake, stopping here and there, searching for his supposed dead body. He was just thankful they weren't ordered to bring him in to their headquarters. Heero wondered if these new soldiers in the rush to have him captured were even given the information that he was from the Rebel Alliance.

An encouraging thought crossed his mind. He might actually survive to complete his mission.

"He, he, he! Good work, Jacko! You helped kill him! Don't worry about your teeth falling out; there's gotta be doggy dentures somewhere out there."

"Shut up, Jeske. But yeah, our work here is done. Let's go. Forget about the rott; we've got plenty others and I don't feel like going down there. It's cold, almost three in the morning, and I wanna watch Treize on the tube in my house. An' look at those rocks; the kid's definitely a goner, too. No little kid could survive a fall like that."

"But Sir, shouldn't we get concrete evidence that the boy in essence died?" one of the more quiet soldiers meekly piped up.

"We're withdrawing, and that's an order!" the captain exclaimed, rubbing the side of his his face wearily with his hand. "I'm exhausted from two twenty-four hour shifts, this outlandish pursuit, and your piercing vocal chords! Question my authority again, Smithe, and I'll have you court-martialed."

"Y-yes, Sir!" There was another pause as the frightened soldier Smithe snapped to a salute.

Heero let out a relieved sigh as he heard the soldiers walking away. It was almost unbelievable he was let off so easily. Now all he had left to do was get to Jade City and complete his mission.

…but first…

How to get off this bridge?

Heero looked down. The lake seemed to be so far below, now. He squinted far into the distance and could see the little dots of light from the windows of Jade's high skyscrapers. This huge expanse of water actually trailed inside that city itself, bringing natural beauty to the large metropolis.

But there was no way he was going to willingly drop into that lake filled with sharp rocks and whatever else lived in there.

He looked up and tried to reach for the bridge's edge with his good hand.

_Riiip…_

Heero gasped and felt the hold cutting deeper into his back. That only meant one thing:

His coat was ripping.

His eyes wide, Heero knew he had to be careful. Careful and yet rapid. He cautiously reached up, arm straining as far as it could go, trying to grasp the side with his fingers.

When he tried to reach the edging again, his jacket only ripped more. It was now only a matter of time before he'd go plummeting down to the watery depths of the lake.

Heero looked up once more, gritting his teeth in exasperation. He was so close.

_So close._

He smiled resentfully. So he made it this far, escaping all those OZ troops, only to wind up dead in a lake with only that rottweiler for company.

Heero took a deep breath as his jacket suddenly rent completely, the hold tearing through his back, sending him plunging into the water.

Hey. At least he knew how to swim.

And even that failed him.

As his body made contact with the water, Heero closed his eyes and let the darkness of unconsciousness overtake him.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The ever-popular Duo Maxwell was in a particularly good mood as he exited the sizeable five-story high school building. In spite of the school being aimed more towards the wealthy (though some middle-class students were also welcomed), it gave off the appearance of being more of a prison than a school. With scraggily vines creeping up the pale yellow brick walls, and a fence surrounding the premises, complete with barbed wire at the top and a guard always actively on duty, a prison compound is what came to mind for most whenever looked at or mentioned. It also was completely anti-Rebel, being it was literally in the center of OZ's influence.

Although Jade High was the school to go to for the residents of Jade because of academics, no one really did anything about revamping the property…or the faculty, which is a story in itself. _'As long as my children learn well, it doesn't matter how,'_ was what the community thought. And to think otherwise was looked down upon.

Still holding the school's door open, Duo stood at the topmost stair on the long flight of steps leading down to ultimate freedom. He took a deep breath and looked up at the beautiful blue sky. It was now a brand new era, like yesterday's terrible thunderstorm finally ending. It was a new age filled with opportunities, a new epic that is blowing every single student's mind away. It was otherwise known as a week-long _vacation_!

"No school! Seven days of nothing but fun, fun, fun!" With a big grin, he slammed the ill-fated doors shut behind his unsuspecting friend, hoping to catch him off-guard.

When his little plot was foiled, Duo looked at his vertically challenged schoolmate in surprise. "'Ey, Lucas! You were supposed to get hit, buddy!" Pretending to be offended, Duo poked his friend in the belly.

"Not the fat, not the fat!" Lucas cried out, raising both hands in surrender. His sea green eyes twinkled as he joked with his cohort in crime. "Maybe next time."

"Yeah, okay, whatever. Now, the million-dollar question: what shaaaall we do while we're on this rare seven-day vacation period?" Duo made a failing attempt at sounding sophisticated as he put his arm around Lucas's neck.

"Uhh…hmm…" Lucas put a pondering finger to his chin as he considered all the different prospects of amusement on a holiday. He brightened instantly. "How 'bout we go to Larry Dairy!" His eyes could have taken the shape of hearts. "I _love_ that place. They've got the best ice cream in Jade City!"

"Lucas! We _always_ go to Larry Dairy!" Duo complained, his arm sliding off Lucas's neck in irritation. Sighing, he began to walk down the stairs, expecting his clumsy friend to follow.

It was Lucas's turn to sigh. He stayed put. "Oh, _come on_! It's a great start to a great holiday!"

Turning, Duo thought for a moment. "Uhh, Lucas, what's so great about Treize Week?"

"I dunno," Lucas answered, beginning to follow Duo down the steps. "But a holiday means no school. Who cares about the reason?"

"I do!" The braided boy raised his arms, stretching overdramatically in his school uniform. "It might seem that way to you, bud, but for me, my dad's making me watch _The Special_."

"Huh? What's _The Special_?" Lucas asked with a blank stare. "Is that something you'd find on a menu?"

"Why would my dad make me watch the Food Channel?" Duo groaned theatrically, and reached the end of the stairs. He walked over to one of the large nearby trees and flopped down on the ground, leaning with his arms behind his head against the aged oak. "Come on, now, Lucas, don't you remember last time we did this?"

Lucas joined Duo, sitting down next to him. "Duo, I can barely remember what I had for breakfast, let alone last Treize Week."

"It's all Khushrenada talk. All day long. On almost every channel…" Duo's eyes sparkled mischievously, "…including _Toon Time_."

Lucas started up. He appeared to be confused. "Toon Time?!"

Duo nodded, knowing it would only take a while for Lucas's reasoning to kick in. He took out his cell phone and twirled it around by its little string. "Yeah, and he talks with big government words I can't even understand. I wish there were subtitles made for the politically ignorant." He stuck out his tongue, and leaned in close to whisper his next statement. "In fact, to tell ya the truth, I don't think _anyone _understands what that loony guy's sayin'."

Lucas shook his head when he heard the comment. "Dude, not that I'm an expert at this suit-'n-tie stuff, and not that Treize is the Queen of Hearts or anything, but I do know it'll be 'off with your head' for you if he ever finds out you said that."

"Excuse me for being a mere teenager!" Duo sniffed, playfully turning his head away and putting the phone back in his pocket.

"You're excused. Can we get some ice cream, now?"

"Gah!" Duo cried out, ignoring Lucas, his hands clutching his head. "The whole world revolves around politics; I _hate_ politics!" Looking around, he quietly added, "Don't tell my dad I said that, though. He'd flip, and I'd fry."

"HOLD IT!" Lucas held up a shaking hand. "You mean Toon Time's off for the _whole break_?!" It seemed the poor guy finally got the message and let it sink in. "What am I gonna do for SEVEN WHOLE DAYS?!" He wildly stared at Duo, his eyes as wide as they would go. His lip almost seemed to be quivering.

Duo snickered at the look his friend was giving him. He knew Lucas well; the poor boy couldn't live a day without his cartoons. "You got it, pally. You just figured that out?"

Lucas looked like he was going to roll up and die. "Now I _really_ need a cone. Larry, here I come."

Duo laughed and was almost converted to go with his friend. He lightheartedly scrunched his eyebrows together and bit his lower lip. "I don't know…"

A mysterious smile crept across Lucas's face. "Consider this payment for trying to cut off my nose with the door."

Duo gave in. "Fine."

"YES!" Lucas leaped all three inches into the air and pumped up a fist. "Victory is mine!"

"Not quite, buddy. It's gotta be on you; I got no dough," Duo said, rubbing his fingers together.

"Then go home and get some!" Lucas shouted, excited. "It's not like your dad is dirt poor or anything. He's only Treize's confidante, after all!"

Duo stood, then looked at the heavy boy, puzzled. "Hey, where'd you hear that word? What's it mean?"

"I dunno, I heard it on TV somewhere," Lucas shrugged, brushing off his generously proportioned pants and grinning to himself. "Who says television teaches you nothing?"

"Wait a minute!" Duo started. "They could've been calling my dad an idiot for all we know!"

"Speaking of your dad," Lucas said as they began to walk out of the school grounds. "Why won't he let me sleep over at your place? Is it because I like to raid fridges or something?"

"Lucas, buddy, I guess it's one of his little pet peeves," Duo answered, patting his glum friend on the back. "He's thinks my friends are 'destructive' and will wreck the house."

"Tell him I'm _not_ destructive and I _won't_ wreck the house! I won't even raid his fridge!" Lucas crossed his arms with annoyance. He then eyed Duo suspiciously. "Or maybe you don't _want_ me to come over!"

"That's not it at all!" Duo exclaimed, waving his arms in the air. "I've tried to tell him my friends aren't like that, but nothing I say will change his mind. He only let's _important guests_ (Duo made quotation marks with his fingers) stay over."

Lucas considered that for a moment, then nodded, approving. "Yeah," he snickered, "I bet he'd only listen to His Royal Imperial Magnificence!"

"Uh-huh, _now_ whose going to get their head lopped off!" Duo countered.

Both boys laughed as they reached the school's gate and handed their identification cards to the guard by the fence.

The guard took the cards and looked them over. He smiled. "You're good. See you next week."

"Dude, don't ruin the vacation before it even starts!" Lucas cried, covering his ears as if he just heard blasphemy.

The guard laughed and waved them through.

Shrugging, Lucas rubbed his belly. "Come ON, Duo, let's hurry up! All this school talk is making me hungry."

"Uh…Luc'…you're always hungry."

"Be quiet and walk," Lucas commanded with a grin. "I'll meet ya at the stand with a Double Chocolate Cow Pie Cone in one hand and a Treize Cone in the other."

"You just like the Treize Cone because of the gum ball for his eye!" yelled Duo good-humoredly, shaking his fist at his friend as he marched away.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 **

Duo cheerfully walked down the sidewalk quickly, his black tie blowing up in his face from the wind. He pushed it back down. _'The "Special" problem's no biggie,'_ he smiled his usual carefree grin as he put his hands in his pockets, thinking carefully.

After all, his dad was away all the time with his OZ business, so Duo had the whole house to himself for sometimes days at a time.

_His dad._

Duo found himself looking down intently at the sidewalk. His fists clenched inside his jacket pockets.

James Maxwell – Treize's trusted advisor and right-handed man, demander of things that could never happen, and known to have astronomical standards beyond anyone's highest expectations.

"Like wanting me to be the next Treize Khushrenada, or something," Duo muttered to himself, kicking a rock down the street with the side of his polished black shoe.

It was almost depressing when his dad ever came to mind. Ever since his wife – Duo's mom – passed away because of an accident, James had never been the same. He'd always be focused on work, constantly in his room (_'whenever he was home, that is,'_ Duo reflected crossly), and always trying to figure out some new way that he could please _'Mr. Treize!'_. It was as if Treize was his god, and he the ardent worshiper. His father even named his _dog_ after Treize (just spelled 'Trays')! It also seemed that Treize and work somehow filled that cavernous void that James's beautiful wife, companion, and friend left him to deal with.

Oh, yeah…then there was Duo. Not much to say there. Duo was simply his lethargic, stupid son who couldn't even get a decent _C_ on a government test. The only thing he was ever good for was a laugh. Sitting, watching a television program – _'starring you-know-who,'_ Duo furiously thought as he walked – was as far as "quality time" went. Family time functioned as far as the quickly-eaten (and occasional) dinner meal they shared together. Yes…that's about as far as the father/son relationship progressed.

Duo suddenly didn't feel like eating ice cream anymore. He felt like being by himself, alone for a while; there were a couple things he needed to think about. Lucas would understand if he showed up late.

As Duo changed directions, heading for a different road, he thought about his friends.

Lucas, along with his other friend, Trowa, were his only two good companions. Sure, he was popular in school, but none of those people that were around him came even close to being called "friends." Lucas was simply Lucas. He wasn't attractive or popular, but he was always wonderful to be with, quite unsuperficial, and was what Duo considered a real friend. Trowa was newer to the area, and again, not popular, but was naturally quiet and understanding. Duo greatly appreciated both of his friends.

Some hung around him because that's just what he was – popular. Plus, his dad was a big-time "G-Man," which spoke for itself. Others hovered over him because he could be a great conversationalist and could also be rather funny at times. And some lingered with him because he wasn't like everyone else; something was just different about him.

Duo knew all this, and hated it. He didn't shun anyone, though; that would simply be rude. And he liked the attention to a certain extent, but after that it got just plain bothersome. He wished there could be a person he could actually be _real_ with, someone who understood his pain. No one knew, not even Lucas or Trowa. They thought he had the best life because of his wealth (if you wanted to have a good time, just go to Duo's house!) and his "cool" dad (Whoa! He knows Mr. Treize personally!).

There was one place that Duo loved to go to when he was feeling this way – underneath the bridge. It was a place where people weren't around to interrupt him of his thoughts. It was a place where he could just sit and unwind, letting go of the city's distractions, a place where he could settle down and basically…think.

The bridge was only one of many other bridges – merely connecting one of the numerous towns to Jade. But this particular town usually just stayed to themselves; it was a more laid-back district than the others. As a result, not many people were usually seen crossing the bridge or loitering around it.

It was Duo's sanctuary.

He would sit underneath the bridge on a little patch on stone, listening to the birds chirping and watch the lake's water gleaming.

And he would just…think.

He never told anyone about his refuge, his place of safety and protection. He wasn't going to, anyway. It wasn't their business, for one, and for another, who was there to tell? Lucas? He'd laugh. Trowa probably wouldn't take it seriously, either.

Secrets are okay for people to keep by themselves…weren't they?

He sighed to himself. It would be a lot better maybe if he at least told _someone_.

But there was no one.

No one but the wind.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 **

'_So much for a great start to a vacation,'_ Duo thought as he neared his shelter. The rain from last night made the grass and dirt muddy, so he had to walk carefully so as not to get his good shoes wet and filthy. Not that _he_ cared; his dad would. The weather was quite humid, almost stifling, and Duo was starting to feel uncomfortable in his bulky uniform suit coat. He was almost tempted to take it off, but that might get it wrinkled. And a certain someone wouldn't care for that, either.

When Duo got closer to the water, his eyes widened. "Whoa-ho! It must've rained cats and dogs, pigs and frogs last night!" he shouted, approaching the lake.

The cloudy lake looked almost to the point of flooding. With its choppy water lapping back and forth against the sharp rocks, it seemed like it was ready to overlap its boundaries and soak into the land. Duo took the whole scene in as he got to the edge. "Wow," he breathed as he looked all around, surveying the power of last night's storm. It was definitely too wet to sit down underneath the bridge on that little stone square, so he decided to just stand where he was.

He smiled a little as a refreshing breeze blew his braid around. His tie flapped up into his face again, and he laughed out loud, pushing it back down and tucking it into his black slacks.

He was starting to feel better already.

Duo began to walk along the bank slowly, casually observing the effects of what happened the night before. Some limbs were ripped off a nearby tree and were now floating in the water. The small beach was loaded with rocks and rubble. He was starting to have to watch his step; otherwise his foot might catch under something, and he'd go sprawling suit-first into the dirty wet sand. Wouldn't he be a spectacle if that happened!

"Hmm..." From fear of that happening, Duo was just about to turn and walk to a different location, when something peculiarly odd caught his eye. He frowned as he saw a large mass of something lying in the sand, and began to meticulously pick his way over to it. It looked different than the other debris -- somehow out of place. It was bulkier and more awkward-looking than the other wreckage. The young boy bent down questioningly, peering at whatever it was.

He gasped and a disgusted look came over his face as a swarm of flies lifted into the air from off the thing, being disturbed from whatever they were doing. Duo couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the decomposing form of what he was looking at: a huge, dead dog.

Its swollen, pitiful form austerely lay there, its skin just beginning to show signs of bleaching in the warm sun. Its skull looked as if it were split open, probably from one of the large rocks out on (and under) the lake. The smell of rot hung heavily in the humid air, nauseating the shocked boy and making him back up a few paces.

"Poor thing. It probably fell in somehow," Duo mumbled to himself, his mind wandering to Trays and mulling over what he'd do if he saw his little dog dead like that. "I wonder where the owner is?"

He stood from his crouched position and quickly looked around to see if there were any other unusual things washed up from the storm.

He gasped again. "What the…?!"

There was a body, lying motionless on the sand and still partly in the water.

Duo broke into a sprint, ignoring what would happen to his shoes and clothes. He gracelessly dropped down next to the body.

From what he saw at first glance, Duo was shocked already. The back of the person's jacket was shredded open, revealed a gaping, blood-crusted slice trailing down the back. He was soaked from head to toe, with grime from the lake covering his clothing.

"What happened to you?" Duo asked softly in almost a daze of incredulity, not expecting an answer.

He carefully turned the person from his side onto his back to see if he was even alive, and gently brushed the mussed, brown hair away from the person's face. His eyes widened.

It was just a boy, seemingly Duo's age. With the unstable rise and fall of his chest, he was fortunately alive, but unconscious. His clothing, as Duo noted before, was in tatters, and the color of dark red, along with sludgy dirt, was streaked across his pale, expressionless face and filthy clothes. Sand, combined with more mud, was caked in his hair, and much to Duo's alarm, dried blood was pooled around his head and already soaked into the sand.

"Kid, kid, are you okay?!" Duo called out, shaking him by the shoulder a bit, not knowing what to do first. His mind raced, trying to remember what he learned in school about this kind of situation.

He grabbed the boy's left wrist, checking for a pulse. It was faint, but he could feel its slow, steady throb.

The boy moaned a little.

"Kid, don't worry, you're gonna be fine, buddy. I'm calling an ambulance, so don't go away!" Duo shouted in sheer nervousness and concern. Although he didn't know this person at all, his heart went out to the poor unconscious boy. He whipped out his cell phone and dialed the emergency number.

"Emergency Service, how can I help you?" a lady's voice came from the other line. She sounded like she was very bored, wanted time off, and dealt with "terrible" situations such as prank calls every day.

"Yeah, this guy needs help!" Duo yelled into the receiver. "He's seriously hurt!"

"Sir, my poor eardrum," the lady said in a monotone voice. "Now, try to do your best and calm down. Good. Now, what seems to be the state of emergency?"

Duo huffed in exasperation, but continued. "My name is Duo Maxwell. I'm at Jade Lake by the bridge leading to Marion and there's this guy on the beach! He needs medical attention. Now would you be so _kind_ as to get an ambulance down here right away?" That end part was clipped as Duo's patience wore thin. He looked at the figure lying in the sand. "Please?" he added to the phone.

"Okay, sir, please stay where you are and I'll send an ambulance."

The next few moments were a blur to Duo. He remembered feeling relieved when he heard the familiar sirens. He remembered seeing the people in white helping the injured boy into the ambulance. He also remembered being asked a few questions by one of the men (Duo couldn't recall what answers he gave him), and then being told that he could see his friend the next day in the hospital.

He lastly remembered watching as they drove away.

* * *

**Author Note**: Sorry if this sounds a tad outlandish, but I would really appreciate it if you reviewed. I am not blind to the 14 people who put this on their favorites list, and the 21 who put this on their alerts list. It takes me quite a while to write a decent chapter -- many hours, actually -- and it only takes, what, two minutes to leave a comment? When there's no encouragement, I feel a bit burned out and don't feel like writing anymore. I can take constructive criticism. If you want me to continue this story with any speed, then please review. The e-mails and comments are sometimes quite inspiring, gets me thinking on what should happen next, and therefore will get out a faster update. As someone put it, "Reviews are sustenance for the writer." So please review our hard work. Indulge us. Thank you.


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